The Karol Szymanowski "Music Without Borders" project comprises a series of concerts to be given by the Polish "Fryderyk Chopin Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra" of Gdańsk. Scheduled in Brussels, Minsk and Kiev, the performances are conducted by the ensemble's artistic director, Kai Bumann. The violin soloist Agata Szymczewska took part in the concert held in the Belarusian State Philharmonic
The programme included Szymanowski's First Violin Concert, Op. 35, recognised as the composer's greatest compositional triumph and dedicated to accomplished violinist Paweł Kochański. Both musicians enjoyed a lifelong friendship and artistic collaboration.
Kochański inspired Szymanowski's works through his innovative violin compositions and transcribed the Polish composers orchestral works for violin and piano. Kochański worked on both of Szymanowski's violin concerts and was often the first to debut the violin parts of Szymanowski's performed works. In Minsk the First Violin Concert, Op. 35 is to be performed by Agata Szymczewska – a young Polish violinist and recent recipient of the 1st Prize at the Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition.
Forming a prelude to the Szymanowski presenation is a series of works by other major Polish composers Witold Lutosławski and Wojciech Kilar. The evening was opened by Kilar's "Polonez" specially written for the screen version of the Polish epic "Pan Tadeusz" / "Mr. Thaddeus", adapted to the screen by Academy Award-winning director Andrzej Wajda.
Building further upon the Polish music theme was Witold Lutosławski's Orchestral Concert. In this piece the composer makes use of Polish folk music from the "Mazowsze" collection of Oskar Kolberg.
Date: 13th September 2011, 7pm
Venue: Belarusian State Philharmonic, Minsk
Organiser: Frederick Chopin Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra in Gdansk in assosciation with the Belarusian State Philharmonic in Minsk
Project cofinanced by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage
Source: Adam Mickiewicz Institute